Iron Maiden. One of the most iconic bands in metal music packed the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, California on Sunday night. This is the first time that the group had been out on tour since 2019 and is a continuation of the Legacy of the Beast World Tour. There is also a new album, Senjutsu, the first new album in over 6 years, and is the 40th anniversary!! of The Number of The Beast. That’s a lot to celebrate, and celebrate the band and fans did. there are only a handful of acts that can still pack arenas night after night after 40 years and most of them aren’t touring and putting out new albums with the regularity of Iron Maiden. I was first introduced the Iron Maiden in college where friends of mine played in a band and many evenings were spent discussing the merits of the Iron Maiden albums. I wish those guys could have been at the show with me.
First up was Trivium, a band I first saw back in 2014 during the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival (something I photographed for 7 years). I was looking forward to their set and it didn’t disappoint. This powerful 4-piece from Florida have been out there since 1999 and have an impressive discography, putting out nine more albums since their initial release Ember to Inferno back in 2003. With their tenth album In the Court of the Dragon released in 2021, these guys are on a roll. They played two songs of the new album and two from The Sin and the Sentence with the remaining three songs in their set coming from Shogun, Silence in the Snow, and Vengeance Falls. Photographing them was a little challenging and at times I thought I was staring directly into a strobe light. Opening for the legendary Iron Maiden is not an easy task but these guys showed how to do it. A great set and lots of fun photos from the first three songs.
Band:
Matt Heafy – Guitar, Vocals
Corey Beaulieu – Guitar
Paolo Gregoletto – Bass
Alex Bent – Drums
SETLIST
1.) Silence in the Snow
2.) Into the Mouth of Hell We March
3.) The Sin and the Sentance
4.) The Phalanx
5.) The Heart From Your Hate
6.) Strife
7.) The Shadow of the Abattoir
Then it was time for Iron Maiden and the crowd was more than ready. Waiting in the photo pit before the lights went down, we were warned to watch for crowd surfers coming over the barricade and to keep our heads on a swivel. A huge shout to the great security team inside the photo pit, they had to deal with four photographers, two video camera positions and and a very excited crowd. They did a superb job of keeping everyone safe. Nothing can ruin your night as fast as a boot to the back of the head while trying to make photos of the band. Its tough to describe the sheer amount of energy coming off the crowd as the waited for the band to take the stage. When the lights went down and the opening notes to UFO’s “Doctor Doctor” rang out, I thought the crowd was going to explode, the cheer literally drowned out the music.
The 15 song Iron Maiden set started with three tunes off the new album, “Senjutsu”, “Stratego,” and “Writing on the Wall.” The backdrop for these songs was made to look like a Japanese temple and when the latest “Eddie” stalked out onto the stage it was truly an impressive sight to behold. What could be more fun than 12 foot tall Eddie in samurai armor welling a sword? (just a quick reminder that all the photos seen here were taken during the first two songs) The rest of the set included tunes from “Piece of Mind”, “The Number of the Beast”, “Iron Maiden”, “The X factor”, “Virtual XI”, “Powerslave”, “Fear of the Dark”, and “Brave New World”. Enough of a variety to keep every fan happy for the two hour show. The backdrops changed after the first three tunes and was replaced showing different album / eras including a chapel like backdrop featuring various iterations of “Eddie” And yes, the photographer in me was a little bummed that I couldn’t capture this great looking stage set all night. These guys have been rocking for more than 40 years and still put on one of the best metal shows imaginable.
I think the best way to sum up the show is the message I got when I got home. It turns out that someone right up on the rail had actually recognized me from the concert photography book I wrote and sent a photo of me shooting Trivium. They had driven all the way from Arizona to come to the show and had made it up to the rail. This kind of fan is what all bands dream about and Iron Maiden has, and for good reason. They absolutely killed it, from the new tunes to the older songs. Much more a rock spectacle than just a concert, a really unforgettable night in Chula Vista.
Steve Harris – Bass
Dave Murray – Guitar
Adrian Smith – Guitar
Bruce Dickinson – Vocals
Nicko McBrain – Drums
Janick Gers – Guitar
SETLIST
1.) Senjutsu
2.) Stratego
3.) The Writing on the Wall
4.) Revelations
5.) Blood Brothers
6.) Sign of the Cross
7.) Flight of Icarus
8.) Fear of the Dark
9.) Hallowed Be Thy Name
10.) The Number of the Beast
11.) Iron Maiden
Encore:
12.) The Trooper
13.) The Clansman
14.) Run to the Hills
Encore 2:
Churchill’s Speech
15.) Aces High
Alan Hess is a photographer based in San Diego, where he lives with his wife and two rescued boxers.
Alan is currently the house photographer for a large concert and event venue in Southern California where he photographs everything from major musical acts to ice hockey. When he isn’t out taking photographs, he spends his time writing books and is an accomplished photography educator and trainer.
Alan’s images have been published in a variety of places including news papers, magazines, websites, promotional materials, album artwork, and press releases. His clients include The Associated Press, Fox Television, FX Network, USA Network, Hasbro, Framus Guitars, Gibson, The Dead, Picture Group, Photoshop User Magazine, Steel Pulse, Ziggy Marley, and many more.
He is the author of sixteen photography and technology books covering everything from night and low light photography to multiple shot techniques. His books are sold around the world and have been translated in other languages including: Chinese, French, Polish, Japanese, Thai, and Italian.
